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Pentecost

Original Hebrew / Aramaic / Greek connected to this term

How to read this: there is rarely one magic “true meaning” hidden behind an English word. A lexicon records a word’s semantic range. The intended meaning is narrowed by grammar, sentence, author, historical usage and context.

GREEK · G4005

πεντηκοστή

pentēkostē — Pentecost

πεντηκοστός, -ή, -όν [in LXX for חֲמִישִׁי, חֲמִישִׁי, Lev.25:10-11, 4Ki.15:23 15:27; 1Ma.4:1-61, 2Ma.14:4; ἡ π., Tob.2:1, 2Ma.12:32 * ;] fiftieth. As subst., ἡ π.; (a) (sc. μερίς), at Athens, a tax of two per cent.; (b) (sc. ἡμέρα, i.e. the fiftieth day after the Passover), Pentecost, the second of the three great Jewish feasts (To, 2Mac, ll. with; ἑορτὴ ἑβδομάδων, Deu.16:10, al.) : Act.2:1 20:16, 1Co.16:8.† (AS)

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H7620

שָׁבוּעַ

sha.vu.a — Weeks

Feast of Weeks, Also named: pentēkostē (πεντηκοστή "Pentecost" G4005) This name means seven,

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HEBREW / ARAMAIC · H1061

בִּכּוּרִים

bik.kur — firstfruit

1) first-fruits 1a) the first of the crops and fruit that ripened, was gathered, and offered to God according to the ritual of Pentecost 1b) the bread made of the new grain offered at Pentecost 1c) the day of the first-fruits (Pentecost)

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GREEK · G8708

πεντηκοστός

pentēkostos — fiftieth

1. fiftieth , (Plato Philosophus) 2. as Substantive, ἡ πεντηκοστή, 3. (i.e. μερίς); at Athens the duty of one-fiftieth , or two per century , on all exports and imports, (Isaeus Orator); εὕρηκε καινὴν ἱππικῆς τινὰ πεντηκοστήν he invented a new two per century duty , in lieu of his cavalry service, i. e. paid this instead of it, (Demosthenes Orator) 4. (i.e. ἡμέρα); the fiftieth day (after the Passover), Pentecost , (New Testament) (ML)

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Historical dictionary entry

I.e., “fiftieth”, found only in the New Testament (Acts 2:1; 20:16; 1 Cor. 16:8). The festival so named is first spoken of in Ex. 23:16 as “the feast of harvest,” and again in Ex. 34:22 as “the day of the firstfruits” (Num. 28:26). From the sixteenth of the month of Nisan (the second day of the Passover), seven complete weeks, i.e., forty-nine days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was held on the fiftieth day. The manner in which it was to be kept is described in Lev. 23:15-19; Num. 28:27-29. Besides the sacrifices prescribed for the occasion, every one was to bring to the Lord his “tribute of a free-will offering” (Deut. 16:9-11). The purpose of this feast was to commemorate the completion of the grain harvest. Its distinguishing feature was the offering of “two leavened loaves” made from the new corn of the completed harvest, which, with two lambs, were waved before the Lord as a thank offering. The day of Pentecost is noted in the Christian Church as the day on which the Spirit descended upon the apostles, and on which, under Peter’s preaching, so many thousands were converted in Jerusalem (Acts 2).

Scripture references

Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897). Historical dictionary wording reflects the scholarship and language of its era.

Compare other reference traditions

Look up Pentecost in Smith’s Bible Dictionary and ISBE →